1. Focus on Defense

Well, Amar'e's not in Phoenix, nor is he under guidance of Mike D'Antoni.

Under Coach D'Antoni, the game plan was simple—outscore your opponents and forget about the defense.

However, now the games different under coach Mike Woodson.

Defense is just as important—if not more important—than the offense, and that's going to be a problem for Amar'e because he was never known for playing above-average defense.

He's been a liability on help defense and pick-and-roll defense. Time after time, Stoudemire isn't sure if he should swarm the ball handler or rotate back to the block, and that's going to be a problem.

Amar'e needs to be more verbal, and this should allow the transitioning to be a bit easier.

3. Develop Chemistry with Point Guards

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Raymond Felton had great chemistry with Amar'e Stoudemire in their first stint together.

It's going to be important that Amar'e finds that comfort area with Ray again, but he's also got other options—there will be times when Amar'e is on the court with either Jason Kidd or Pablo Prigioni, and both of these guys are pass-first players.

Fans should be excited that Amar'e will be paired with these three athletes: One he's had previous success with, another that's a proven point guard that is surely going to be in the Hall of Fame and another that can deliver the ball where need be.

If you can remember in the early goings of the 2010-11 season, Felton and Amar'e really weren't on the same page. It wasn't until Game 4 that the two were able to wreak havoc as a unit.

The same thing is going to happen when he returns this year.

Stoudemire is going to need to be reacquainted with his new weapons, and once that adjustment is made, he might be able to help New York rather than hurt them.

4. Regain Offensive Touch

Amar'e Stoudemire always had a very nice jump shot to rely on, but recently, it appeared as though that part of his game was inept.

Last year was the worst season of Amar'e's career—barring his rookie year.

He just didn't look like the power forward that we had been accustomed to seeing man the 4 spot in Madison Square Garden.

Stat averaged 17.5 points per game and eight rebounds a game.

Did this have anything to do with Carmelo Anthony?

Of course it did, but he's going to need to make things work for the betterment of this franchise.

Over the summer, Amar'e worked with Hakeem Olajuwon on a post game and other things he could add to his repertoire to make him a more dynamic player, but we have yet to witness this because of that knee injury.

If Amar'e learned anything over the weeks with the Dream, hopefully it will translate to a more explosive player who can help alleviate the pressures on Carmelo Anthony to score.

Don't get me wrong, Stoudemire shouldn't come into his first game back expecting to score 25—he doesn't have to anymore—but just having him as an option should be enough.

6. Embrace Whatever Role He's Assigned

Amar'e Stoudemire's return could mean that he will come off the bench.

Coach Mike Woodson has not committed to inserting the power forward into the starting lineup.

In a report from the New York Post's Marc Berman, Woodson confirmed that he's unsure of how he'll handle the situation.

"I’m going to address that when we get to that point,’’ Woodson said at New Orleans Arena. “Right now I’m just taking it a day at a time and work the guys we have in uniform.’’

If Amar'e is sent to the bench, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

He'll form a second unit with Jason Kidd (upon Iman Shumpert's return), J.R. Smith, Steve Novak and Marcus Camby/Rasheed Wallace. That's a pretty formidable unit—in fact, I'd take that unit over Washington's first unit right now (Sorry Wiz fans).

The Knicks current starting lineup has done just fine up to this point, aside from a few road blocks. Adding Stoudemire to the second unit allows Woodson to worry even less about blowing a lead or playing catchup, while dodging the bullet of playing two so-called "incompatible players."

Unfortunately, this is a role Stoudemire is not familiar with. However, it shouldn't take long to get accustomed to.